Riyadh, Seoul review progress of nuclear project

:: Saudi Arabia and South Korea have reviewed the System-integrated Modular Advanced Reactor Technology (SMART) project, which aims to design and develop compact nuclear reactors so the Kingdom can diversify energy sources in line with Vision 2030.

The King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE) is developing the project in association with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and other Korean firms specializing in atomic energy.

KACARE and KAERI are mandated to achieve energy self-reliance via nuclear technology in their respective countries.

The third meeting on the SMART project was held in South Korea to review activities in connection with the initial engineering design, Korean Embassy spokesman Youngjae Kim said on Thursday.

The basis of this cooperation is a memorandum of understanding signed in 2015 during the visit to the Kingdom by then-South Korean President Geun-Hye Park, the spokesman added.

“SMART is a better option in terms of safety than large units,” he said, adding that the Saudi-Korean cooperation may lead to commercializing and promoting SMART to other countries.

KACARE said in a statement that the meeting reviewed progress “to ensure project completion on time, hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder with the Korean stakeholders.”

KACARE is laying down engineering designs so the Kingdom can produce electricity and desalinated water, and potentially export atomic energy.